I'm a Foreign Service Officer and Pickering alumna. I'm not sure where life is taking me but stick around and we'll find out together.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Around town

I've been busy since I got back to town, both working and trying to get a head start on some reading for this semester, but I still have some time for sightseeing, so I decided to cross a few more DC sights of my list. Especially since this is (thankfully) my last semester of school before I join the FS.

Last week was so gorgeous that I headed outdoors. I saw the SW-Waterfront area and really liked it. There's the little known Titanic Memorial, dedicated to the men who gave up their places to let women and children onto the lifeboats.

Further on there are some awesome houseboats. Part of me started scheming about how I could buy and houseboat and drag it around the world with me to wherever I'm posted. Isn't this one cute though?

Finally, there is the slightly sad looking Banneker Park, named for the man who helped survey DC. He was really accomplished - an astronomer, mathemetician, surveyor, and author - especially in a time when African Americans, even in the North, were so marginalized. Check out his wikipedia page.

I also headed out on Monday in what turned into a big sloppy snowstorm to see the Supreme Court. They don't let you take pictures inside the courtroom, and I got soaked trying to get pictures outside, so I there isn't much evidence that I was there. Here's the West side though. Did you know that directly above the courtroom there is a basketball court? Or that the Supreme Court building was only built in the 1930s - and that it can in on time and under budget? If you are interested in visiting there is a half hour video, a gallery with some exhibits, and a half hour courtroom lecture. As with almost every museum in town, it's free.

On my way back to the metro I got this shot of the capitol. Do you see how big the snow...chunks... are? No wonder I came home soaked to the bone. It was beautiful though, and as first-snow-of-the-years go it wasn't bad.